TORONTO — Procter & Gamble’s hair care brand Pantene has announced that Canadian actress, philanthropist and star Lisa Ray is the new Pantene Beautiful Lengths ambassador in Canada; who will encourage Canadians to grow and share their hair for cancer.

Since 2008, Pantene Beautiful Lengths has inspired Canadians to grow, cut and donate their healthy-looking hair to provide real-hair wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments — at no cost.

Ray, an award-winning actress and performer, has starred in Canada’s Oscar-nominated film, “Water,” among other credits and is currently the host of Food Network Canada’s series, “Top Chef Canada.”

“Lisa is a perfect fit for the Pantene Beautiful Lengths Program,” stated Esther Benzie, associate marketing director of hair care at Procter & Gamble in Canada. “Having experienced hair loss due to cancer treatment first-hand, Lisa can relate to the importance of this program in helping women regain their dignity and sense of self.”

To date, Pantene Beautiful Lengths has recevied more than 40,000 hair donations in Canada from men, women and children. The Canadian Cancer Society distributes the free wigs through their nationwide network of wig banks.

Aside from donating hair, there are other ways for Canadians to get involved and support the program:

From every purchase of a Pantene Beautiful Lengths product, one Canadian dollar will go to the Canadian Cancer Society;

For every new “like” on the Pantene Canada Facebook page, Pantene will donate one Canadian dollar to the Canadian Cancer Society; and